**Details, drawings, and photos are omitted due to confidentiality**
Problem: Wind turbine maintenance crew was experiencing a significant number of high-wind work delays each month.
Role: Design a wind turbine blade lifting tool from concept to engineering drawing that can sustain greater working wind conditions.
Constraints:
Must hold the blade in a specific orientation
Tool must not produce more than a specified amount of pressure on the blade surface
Designed to withstand loading from all 1MW and 2MW wind turbine blades
Mass constraints based on crane loading capacities
Outcome:
Increased operational weather window by 40%
Enabled $123k/month in additional revenue through mitigating wind delays
Design Process:
Conceptual design based on design requirements and existing market options
Basic geometry modelled in SolidWorks CAD
Load determination conducted in accordance with ASME BTH-1 and CSA S16
Load cases included standard lifting conditions, maximum tool misalignment, and maximum environmental loading (wind, snow, etc)
Key structural components sized in accordance with hand calculations and load determination
Detailed design
Finite Element Analysis:
Due to the component geometry exceeding reasonable hand calculation complexity, a 185-body SolidWorks FEA study was undertaken
Due to the study consisting of many thin-walled structural members and plates, a shell study was conducted to increase model accuracy and improve run time
3 different load cases were run, with unique fixturing and loading in each
Study results were analyzed in conjunction with ASME BTH-1 standards, including utilizing a safety factor of 2 on final FEA stress and deflection values
Iterative design occurred in response to simulation results, dissipating regions of high stress and stiffening regions of large displacement
Manufacturing Considerations:
DFM (specifically welding)
Ensured adequate space for weld torch access, as well as creating a manufacturable sequence to assemble pieces of the weldment
Created engineering shop drawings for fabrication
This project deepened my technical understanding more than any other. The exposure to code-based design, calculations, and an extensive FEA simulation deepened my practical knowledge. While leading communication with critical foreign suppliers, project managers, and upper management gave me opportunities to champion this project and have full ownership throughout the design process.